Brother

It hurts to look at you,
it hurts to write this down.
Whether it be apart or together, it hurts to grow;
and I haven't yet figured out which way we have gone.
Our lives keep moving, in our every-day shallowness.
Nonetheless, your eyes have stopped me —
have made me hear silence in a noisy room.
I know the pain of your distance; I am lonely for you.
I am speaking to you, brother,
in confidence;
in front of a crowd of strangers.
But I don't care who eavesdrops on our long talks
under the bunk-bed;
our loving embraces at happy moments;
or even that special glance we have exchanged
that is untranslatable.
No one should feel sad for us when they read this,
time is something always too short for lovers—
and we know it.
We will make the same mistakes as everyone else,
as those before us have,
and those after us will.
Love has brought us together in my heart,
at least for a little while;
and together here forever
on this page.